From NPR's Hidden Brain Podcast and Morning Edition May 13, 2019 James Heckman Harris Public Policy Professor James Heckman Harris Public Policy Professor James Heckman, a Nobel Laureate who is also the Director of the Center for Social Program Evaluation and a Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Economics and the College, was featured in NPR's Hidden Brain podcast, discussing the deficit of lessons taught in GED programs beyond those directly required by the examination to graduate. "I realized that the whole educational establishment, at least the establishment that looked at test scores and that valued schools and valued people by these test scores really was just missing important dimensions of human behavior," Heckman said. "And so that brought me onto a subject which is fascinating, and which I think is really important to success and understanding success and failure, and that is the notion of what I call non-cognitive skills." Full coverage available at Hidden Brain. The podcast was also featured in NPR's Morning Edition. Faculty Spotlight Anjali Adukia Assistant Professor Anjali Adukia seeks to understand how children from all backgrounds can have opportunities to realize their potential. Adukia's work draws on large-scale data, often deriving data from previously unused and underused sources, including employing AI methods to expand tools and data used in research. Upcoming Events More events Drop-in Application Consultation Wed., December 03, 2025 | 8:30 AM Coffee Chat in Western Massachusetts Wed., December 03, 2025 | 9:00 AM Tunnel City Coffee 100 Spring St #102 Williamstown, MA 01267 United States Get to Know Harris! A Virtual Information Session Wed., December 03, 2025 | 12:00 PM
October 10, 2025 Policy Outlook: A Fireside Chat with Dean Sergei Guriev of the London Business School